FIX: "The data refresh job failed because it has been inactive for more than 3600 seconds" error message when you use SQL Server 2008 R2 PowerPivot for SharePoint in some non-English environments

Microsoft distributes Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 fixes as one downloadable file. Because the fixes are cumulative, each new release contains all the hotfixes and all the security fixes that were included with the previous SQL Server 2008 R2 fix release.

SYMPTOMS

Consider the following scenario:

You configure a Microsoft SharePoint farm that uses a non-English version of Microsoft SharePoint 2010. Or, you configure the SharePoint farm to use computers that are running a non-English version of Windows Server 2008 or of Windows Server 2008 R2.

Note This issue is known to occur with the Korean and Arabic versions of SharePoint 2010.

You upload a Microsoft Excel workbook to the SharePoint farm, and this workbook contains a PowerPivot data source in PowerPivot Gallery.

You follow these steps to schedule a data refresh operation to PowerPivot for SharePoint on the schedule definition page:

In the Schedule Details section, click Once

In the Earliest Start Time section, click Specific earliest start time

Note When you click Specific earliest start time, you can select the earliest time to start the data refresh operation.

In this scenario, you receive the following error message:

The data refresh job failed because it has been inactive for more than 3600 seconds.

However, you expect the data refresh operation to start at the time that you specified.

CAUSE

This issue occurs because PowerPivot for SharePoint does not parse the dates correctly when the operation is scheduled to start at a specific time.

RESOLUTION

Cumulative update information

SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1

The fix for this issue was first released in Cumulative Update 5 for SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1. For more information about how to obtain this cumulative update package, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Note Because the builds are cumulative, each new fix release contains all the hotfixes and all the security fixes that were included with the previous SQL Server fix release. We recommend that you consider applying the most recent fix release that contains this hotfix. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

2567616 The SQL Server 2008 R2 builds that were released after SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 was released

WORKAROUND

To work around this issue, click After business hours instead of Specific earliest start time in the Earliest Start Time section when you configure the data refresh schedule.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

REFERENCES

For more information about how to schedule a PowerPivot data refresh operation for SharePoint, visit the following MSDN website: